This invention relates in general to electrical terminal assemblies and deals more particularly with an improved terminal assembly of the type which includes a bifurcated terminal having a conductor receiving slot and a conductor stuffer for forcing an electrical conductor into the slot and retaining it therein to provide permanent tight connection between the conductor and the terminal.
Terminal assemblies of the aforedescribed type have been heretofore provided. However, the conductor stuffers associated with such terminal assemblies usually engage spaced apart portions of a conductor at opposite sides of a slotted terminal in which the conductor is received and do not come into contact in the portion of the conductor which enters the terminal slot. More specifically, such a conductor stuffer applies pushing force to spaced apart portions of the conductor at opposite sides of a terminal to pull the portion of the conductor located therebetween into the terminal slot. The greatest resistance to seating the conductor in the terminal slot is encountered within the slot itself. Consequently, the portion of the conductor being pulled into the slot tends to bend or buckle. The aforedescribed conductor stuffer arrangement is not entirely satisfactory because it does not control stuffing depth of the buckled portion which may result in imperfect termination. Accordingly, it is the general aim of the present invention to provide a terminal assembly which includes an improved conductor stuffer for overcoming the aforedescribed problem. It is a further aim of the invention to provide an improved conductor stuffer which also functions as a strain relief device.